Smart News –
The latest news that every watch site is reporting is in a way confirmation of what I said in a recent Post, the idea that traditional Watch manufacturers are looking at incorporating Chips in their watches, has finally had the seal of approval from one of the masters of pilot watches – Breitling. The Breitling B55 (connected) is on it’s way and to be in the marketplace later this year.
The Breitling B55 connected. Note the Bluetooth icon will NOT be on the production models.
Yes this model connects to a Breitling Mobile App you can get for your iPhone (and I expect Android to follow) so that it can wirelessly communicate to your phone via Bluetooth – and the App looks set to be a winner too as it’s not just another “message notification one”.
This particular App allows you to change Time Zones, change the watch display, set alarms, show watch operated results and other watch data, just like the watch dial itself, though in a larger format – plus of course that phone data etc.
It also is noted that the battery life (chargeable) is considerably longer than the Apple Smart watch variety, but importantly you still have the very well specified watch functions whether charged or not – it is still an independent fully functioning Chronograph and all the rest of it.
The Breitling App – virtually a control monitor for the watch dial.
I particularly like the comment made by Breitling with this slightly barbed reference:
“For Breitling, there was no question of turning a watch into an extension dependent on a phone and less high-performance than the latter.”
My sentiments exactly.
No doubt in my mind that this is the preferred way to go for the so called Smart WATCH – and perhaps not so much “look out Swiss Watch Industry, Apple’s on it’s way” – but “Look out Apple, the Swiss have woken up – again!”
Still whichever way it goes, now at least we have some serious competition from folks who know about watches – and you never know, maybe the big three quartz majors will get off their collective too – as there’s not a lot they don’t know about watches AND electronics – now that would be something!
